You may have grown used to our science-based Willpower Posts, but this one is different. No science, just a raw experience of pain and a deep question. Standing With 26,000 People On October 18th, 2015 at 8:00 AM I was standing at the start line, along...
Why do we procrastinate? Why do we have the (often subconscious) aversion to completing tasks or behaviors which we know we must do, for our own good? Can we overcome these aversions and procrastination? The Science: Why do we do what we do? What drives our day-to-day, moment-by-moment...
Here is a question for you: Do you know what situations in your life cause you to see your glass as half-full, and which cause you to see it as half-empty? The Science: Dr. Allison Ledgerwood, a psychologist at UC Davis, did some very interesting work which...
In 1952 Sir Edmund Hillary attempted to climb Mount Everest but failed. A few weeks later, a group in England asked him to address its members. Hillary walked on stage to thunderous applause. He then moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge...
A world apart, the bushman of Africa and the villagers of Southern Thailand have both learned how to trap a monkey, taking advantage of the monkey’s unrelenting determination not to let go, even if it means compromising its freedom. And in that respect, we humans behave...
Introduction We have long known that the state of our brain affects the state of our body, but is the reverse also true? Can the state of our body affect the state of our brain? In a recent study Professor Amy Cuddy of Harvard Business School and...
Can a simple show of gratitude have a measurable long term effect on your happiness? Well, Professor Martin Seligman, a pioneer in the field of Positive Psychology says: “Absolutely”. The Science: In a 2005 study involving 577 participants, Seligman and his team found that a simple intervention of delivering...
Does the belief that stress is harmful to your health influence your actual state of health? Can your beliefs about stress increase the likelihood of your premature death? The Science: In a 2013 study involving 28,753 participants, Dr. Abiola Keller and her colleagues at the University of...
A recent study, published in the January 2015 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that inactivity can be twice as deadly as obesity. The study also suggests that even moderate exercise of 20 minutes a day can reduce the risk of mortality...
Recently, I found an article published by Harvard Health Publications, which explains what happens in the addicted brain. Although addiction is not within the scope of our work, it is closely related to the Habit Loop which we discuss in our Guided Change Program. Hence,...
